Speak up

Vocal coach Veronica Rueckert: “Women need to be taught to interrupt and hold the floor.”

In a recent New York Times article, “Speaking While Female,” Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Wharton School professor/organizational psychologist Adam Grant articulated what many women in corporate America already know: “When a woman speaks in a professional setting, she walks a tightrope. Either she’s barely heard or she’s judged as too aggressive. When a man says virtually the same thing, heads nod in appreciation for his fine idea. As a result, women often decide that saying less is more.”

This notion resonates deeply with Veronica Rueckert, an award-winning host on Wisconsin Public Radio and a vocal coach. “Our voice is how we interact with the world,” she says. “It’s a powerful thing, like a fingerprint. It’s our responsibility to share this unique, precious gift — women especially.”

Since July 2015, Rueckert has been helping women find their voices and use them more effectively through one-on-one coaching, group workshops and public presentations.

As the featured speaker for an August meeting of the Women’s Business Resource Group at American Family Insurance, she spoke to an auditorium of both men and women about the challenges women face communicating in a business environment. She also outlined how both genders can change their behavior to make sure that everyone’s ideas are heard.

“In business, in any major decisions, we need a plurality of voices,” she said. Her mantra for the women in the audience: “Talk anyway, even if you are penalized for it.”

With a background as an opera singer and a degree from UW-Madison in vocal performance, Rueckert focuses some of her message on mechanics: learning how to use the breath. “Women are used to sitting with legs crossed, folded arms, which makes it hard to breathe,” she says. “They’re also encouraged to suck their stomachs in — which inhibits full use of the diaphragm.” For the most effective speech, she advocates standing with shoulders rolled back, sternum lifted, and the lower abdomen released.

Delivering a strong message through behavior and phrasing is as important as having a strong voice. Common pitfalls for women speakers include:

• Over-apologizing

• Giggling or laughing at the end of a sentence

• Saying “Does that make sense?” or “You know what I mean?” at the end of a statement

• Overusing up-talk — raising the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence so it sounds more like a question

• Couching statements with “I think” and trailing off at the end of a thought

Rueckert advises women to instead take up space with their bodies and voices. “Move around when giving a presentation. Talk with your hands to make your message bigger. Get comfortable with pauses, and use ‘red carpet phrases’ to introduce a topic like, ‘I have an idea.’”

Rueckert uses her own experience to reinforce her message. Professionally, she began with writing content for radio broadcasts, but quickly became on-air talent and producer of classical music programs, talk shows, news segments and the nationally broadcast “To the Best of Our Knowledge.”

Working in radio, Rueckert has seen firsthand how interesting, sometimes brilliant ideas can be sabotaged by anxiety, timidity, clumsy phrasing or the unpleasant sound in the speaker’s voice. She remembers a particularly disappointing experience when interviewing a female scientist on the air. “I was really excited to talk to this researcher, who had a new book out on dolphins. It was an interesting topic, but she couldn’t effectively tell her story because of the limitations of her voice.”

Rueckert’s “Speaking While Female” workshops are “for women of all stripes,” she says, from executives to stay-at-home moms. She also offers general voice workshops that are open to men and women. Rueckert’s next workshop is slated for Nov. 13 ($75); for more information or to find out more about individual coaching, see veronicarueckertcoaching.com.

“After I did my first few workshops I realized people are hungry for this information,” she says. “Women need these tools to be more assertive and present. Women need to be taught to interrupt, and to hold the floor. Lots of clients feel like there’s a lion inside them. When they can tap into that power and finally release it, it’s inspiring. I love it.”